BRDM 129

chapter 129

Skies above the outskirts of Tianjin, China.

A C-130 transport plane stealthily revealed itself.

Altitude: 8,100 meters.

“Thirty seconds out!”

At the rear of the aircraft, the loadmaster raised three fingers.

Beneath the red light, Z-Team members tightened their belts and checked one another’s gear one last time.

Ballistic helmets, goggles, and comm units gleamed faintly in their places.

Then—

Rumble—!

The massive ramp door opened, and a fierce wind swallowed their vision along with the darkness spread below.

A slight tension appeared on the faces of Kim Min-jeong and the other Z-Team members.

No matter how many times they had experienced this before, dropping into a battlefield always carried its nerves.

Even more so now—this assault was meant to be a sudden strike, slipping past enemy intelligence networks.

The slightest mistake could mean the annihilation of the entire team.

“The NIS and CIA both worked hard to keep the exact operation date hidden…”

The Central Hero Committee also had its pride on the line.

Especially since their reputation had taken a beating recently, they would desperately want to reclaim face.

Even during the pre-briefing, they’d already confirmed that the anti-air defenses and fortifications around the Pingshin base had increased several times over normal.

Naturally, there had been plenty of conflict behind the scenes—between those who wanted to grasp the information and those trying to scramble it.

If the enemy had truly figured out the exact date, then the operation zone would become a den of dragons waiting to devour Z-Team.

But—

“That won’t happen.”

Kim Min-jeong placed her trust once again in Lee Hyun and Im Won-young.

She knew how much effort the two of them had poured into preparing for this mission.

“Twenty seconds out!”

Two fingers folded down.

Everyone adjusted the oxygen masks covering their mouths.

“Ten seconds out!”

Kim Min-jeong locked eyes with each member of Cloud squad.

Their role would be the most crucial in this operation.

[Inheritance, Legend of Janghwa and Hongryeon awakens your senses!]
[Ogre Bull King’s Shadow settles around your eyes.]

A strange glow flickered around her gaze just as the loadmaster’s fingers folded down.

Clack!

The red light switched to green.

“GO! GO! GO!!”

As the loadmaster swung his arm down, the team members hurled themselves one by one into the darkness.

Whooosh—!

The rushing wind screamed past their ears, the chill air snapping them fully awake.

Dozens of warriors glided for tens of kilometers without parachutes, soaring straight through the night sky.

[Inheritance, Baby Warrior Wuturi prepares its blade!]
[Inheritance, Hellhound of the Black Country readies its flames!]
[Inheritance, Plum Blossom in the Snow blooms magnificently!]

…

Flash! Flash!

Lights began sparking one by one from the crowns of their heads.

Mana surged through them.

Then parachutes snapped open in rapid succession, ferrying them down swiftly toward the designated zone.

It was far enough from Pingshin’s base.

Fortunately, there was still no reaction from the enemy.

Rustle—

Parachutes brushed the ground.

Kim Min-jeong and the others quickly unbuckled and stowed their gear.

『Cloud-1, landed. No contact, three o’clock direction clear.』

Chzzzt.

『Storm-1, landed. Area clear.』

『Bolt-2, landed. Area clear.』

Each squad reported in over comms one after another.

Clack, clack!

Kim Min-jeong and Cloud squad readied their rifles, moving swiftly.

If they didn’t establish position quickly, the other squads couldn’t safely begin infiltration.

—In this operation, the most important person is you, Min-jeong.

—…What are you talking about?

The words Lee Hyun had spoken to her the night before resurfaced.

While handing her a cup of vending machine coffee, he had said—

—You’ll command this mission.

—…!?

In the distance, dogs barked, and the beam of a sentry’s flashlight wavered.

Someone’s there.

With a hand signal, Min-jeong sent two members to the brush on the left.

Meanwhile, infiltration specialist Oh Soo-heon and her squad had already readied their equipment.

Thud!

“Ghhk—!”

The first sentry collapsed, clutching his throat.

No scream escaped.

Seo Ae-ri had silenced him from behind, gagging him and snapping his neck.

She flashed an OK sign.

Kim Min-jeong raised an infrared pointer toward the first target instead of a flare.

Three hundred meters ahead—the communications outpost.

They needed to seize it first, cutting off reinforcements before they could respond.

『Bolt, move in.』

Oh Soo-heon and her squad sprang forward.

Through her infrared scope, Min-jeong noticed Soo-heon smiling, and gave a dry chuckle.

“Now that I think about it, she was every bit as fierce at the Academy as Jang-sunbae, wasn’t she?”

Indeed, the 17th class—Lee Hyun and Oh Soo-heon’s year—was famous among Academy graduates.

They were all highly skilled, though each had some screws loose in their own way.

Shu Chang-You and Na Ye-bin were also from that year. Same with Moon-sunbae, Go-sunbae…

Many from the 17th were active all across the globe—even among the top-ranked elites.

But the brightest among them had always been Lee Hyun and Oh Soo-heon.

On the battlefield, she was always invincible.

Maybe she was the one who had longed for this moment the most.

Flash—!

A sudden red muzzle flare tore through the darkness.

Another sentry looked up in alarm—

Slash!

Pfft—!

But Soo-heon’s blade had already cut through their throats.

Magic bullets fired in support drilled silently into the brows of the others, thanks to suppressors.

The once-silent battlefield air shifted.

“As fast as ever, Soo-heon-sunbae.”

Thud!

She lowered her body almost flat to the ground, sliding against the wall.

Inside the comms station, soldiers shouted in alarm as they scrambled for weapons.

“操! 他们从哪儿……?! (Damn! Where did they come from?!)”

But Soo-heon was already inside.

It was nothing but their last, futile struggle.

Three minutes later—

Chzzzt.

『Bolt-1, first objective secured. Heh, the weather’s nice tonight, and the sound of pigs squealing—everything’s perfect.』

Soo-heon’s voice carried a thrill.

Of course she was enjoying herself.

Min-jeong checked her watch.

04:11.

The time Hyun had mentioned was approaching.

Chzzzt.

『Storm-2, Mana EMP and demolition charges in place.』

She lifted her comm.

『Execute EMP immediately. In five minutes, we start the fireworks to welcome the Captain. Clear out of the comms station and move to the next location.』

Inside, experimental equipment and satellite relays filled the rooms. Clearing it thoroughly was vital to advance the mission.

Her team bustled into action.

—You know as well as I do: no matter how much Astra backs us up, in the end we’re the ones who have to face Pingshin.

—That’s true, but…

—We need overwhelming force. We shake them inside and out. I’ll handle the inside. You handle the outside.

—But sunbae—

—From what I see, you belong on the stage.

—…!!

Min-jeong recalled Hyun’s words as she tracked enemy movements with her scope.

She’d already known what this mission entailed.

She’d wanted to oppose it.

She understood why it had to be this dangerous, but…

This team had only just been restored.

It should’ve been Hyun leading them.

At worst, they could’ve entrusted it to Soo-heon.

But Hyun had refused flatly.

He had said no one else could do it but her.

—Trust yourself. Because I trust you.

His hand on her shoulder, his smiling face—it was still vivid in her mind.

Thump!

Her heart pounded now just as it had then.

She had been trembling—

But she had accepted.

And now—

She realized she wasn’t as nervous as she’d expected.

If anything, she was colder, clearer than usual.

It was as though the battlefield painted itself before her eyes.

She could almost see how the enemy would react to the comms blackout.

Which meant—

She knew exactly what to do next.

Sentries rushed toward the comms post in a panic.

Too late, you bastards.

A smirk tugged at her lips.

Click.

Somewhere, a trigger sounded—

BOOOOM!!

An immense explosion consumed the comms station.

A pillar of fire rose in the heart of Pingshin’s base, blasting waves of heat and toxic smoke in all directions.

This was no ordinary explosive.

It had been specially crafted by High-Ranker alchemist Lee Gun-san.

[Mirror of the Azure Flame]

It was said the yokai Hinokagutsuchi, god of fire, dwelled within the mirror.

It spewed black smoke that shrouded the heavens with malice.

Over time, the smoke numbed the senses, then transformed into toxic miasma and violent blasts.

• Type: Consumable item

• Origin: Myth, Kojiki

The smoke spread like a living yokai, perfectly sowing confusion among the enemy.

And it wasn’t only the comms station.

Boom! Boom-boom-boom!

Rumble!

KRA-KOOM!

Fire pillars erupted all across the base.

Other teams had succeeded at their objectives too.

It was only possible because the comms outpost had been seized first.

Not just Min-jeong, but the entire Z-Team moved as if part of one body.

Even Astra, who had insisted on joining as backup, had taken the most dangerous objectives—and proved more than capable.

In operations like this, they were in some ways even more reliable than allies.

“I’ll have to ask them a lot later. Plenty to learn from.”

Chzzzt.

『Storm-1, objective complete. Moving to next target.』

『Bolt-3, objective complete. Moving to next target.』

『Astra Bravo-1, mission compl—…』

WEEEEEE—!!

The completion report was drowned beneath sirens, but Min-jeong’s next command rang out clearly.

『Eliminate all enemies. No survivors.』

『Command confirmed.』

『Command confirmed.』

『Roger that.』

Z-Team advanced, Astra covering their rear.

“It’s begun. And they’re doing even better than expected.”

Unlike the others, Lee Hyun had delayed his drop. Now, from above, he grinned down at the scene below.

A dazzling fireworks display lit up the dark night, as if celebrating his arrival.

This was all Min-jeong’s doing.

Breaking through such tight surveillance to succeed like this was no easy feat.

Her meticulous nature, paired with boldness, had accomplished it.

“Looks like she’s fully embraced the Bull King’s temperament since awakening as a Ranker. The team follows her without question.”

The outer battle no longer needed his worry.

“Then, shall we begin?”

Snip!

Though still high above the ground, Hyun cut the straps of his parachute with his axe.

Flap—!

His clothes whipped in the wind as he dove like a spear into the inferno below.

He hurled three axes into the air at once.

At the same time—

Clatter-clatter!

[‘Sacred Relic: Ruyi Chain’ links with all of Do-cheol’s Fangs!]
[You awaken as a Sacred Relic user!]

[Inheritance, Day-Demon Dance resonates fiercely with Do-cheol’s Fangs!]

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The black-gold chain whipped through the air, binding the three axes together—

Flash!

KRA-KOOOM!!

Blazing with a violent azure-white fire, they slammed into the ground.

The central base, where Shu Chang-You was believed to be.

BOOOOOOM!!

[The wraith of the Dokkebi erupts in fury!]